MATAGI

Originally, the self-sufficient males living in the deep forest and mountains areas are called "The MATAGI" in Japanese. They represent one of the indigenous tribes. Before the 1960s, most of them lived almost without money. However, the situation changed in the 1970s, during the high economic growth. Some of them moved to towns in order to find more modern and comfortable jobs. As the years passed, the MATAGI have been considered only as a kind of hunter living in rural areas of Japan. Nowadays, they are facing a possible extinction of their traditions.